Chris Waller is hoping lightly raced stayer Kadavar can follow in the footsteps of recent Lord Mayors Cup (2000m) winners who progressed to Group 1 success.
Past winners like Eliyass (2024), Bois D’Argent (2023), and Polly Grey (2021) have all stepped up to elite level, and Kadavar is tipped to do the same.
The four-year-old impressed last prep with three straight wins, capped by his Christmas Cup (2400m) victory over Alalcance.
“He might be better than that,” said assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth.
“He could potentially be a Melbourne Cup horse for us.”
Kadavar resumed with a strong-finishing seventh in the Scone Cup (1600m), with Rachel King suggesting he could have won with clear running.
With King riding in Brisbane, Kerrin McEvoy takes the reins on Saturday.
Waller has four runners entered, including First Light and Speycaster, while Etna Rosso is dual-entered for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m).
Wiremu Pinn will ride Speycaster, who returns to Sydney after a string of below-par efforts in Melbourne.